Cattle chute



Nov. 7, 1950 NIECE 2,528,664

CATTLE CHUTE Filed April 8, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

. Inventor Olin Niece ear/WW5 6 M; w

Filed Ap 1947 o. NIECE CATTLE CHUTE 3 sheets- 2 Nov. 7, 1950 o. NIECE2,528,664

cum: CHUTE Filed April 8, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I O) I l I Inventor OlinNiece 2mm WWW Mz-w Fig. 3.

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT orsicE CATTLE CHUT-E OlinNiece, Seneca, N. Mex.

Application April 8, 1947, Serial No. 740,051

Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in cattle chutes for use inbranding and/or castrating young cattle, especially calves.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a practical, efficient,chute into which calves, of various sizes, may be driven to be confinedin standing position, without squeezing, and then pulled over on eitherside, off the feet,- with the neck confined in a yoke all -so as toposition the calves for convenient, easy, quick operation there- Anotherobject is to provide a chute of the character and for the purposes aboveset forth which is easy to operate, safe, and inexpensive to manufactureand use.

Other and subordinate objects, also comprehended by my invention,together with the precise nature of my improvements, and the advantagesthereof will be readily understood when the succeeding description andclaims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and formingpart of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my improved chute in a preferredembodiment thereof, and illustrating the manner in which the same isused;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a view in end elevation looking at the head end of thechute;

Figure 4 is a view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 4-4of Figure 2 and illustrating one of the wall sections swung down intotable forming position, and the swingable side structure swung into achute widening position;

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the neck yoke bar.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, my improved chute, in theillustrated preferred embodiment thereof, comprises, as the basicelements thereof, a pair of end, and an intermediate, transverse basebars I of any suitable length for stabilizing the chute, a floor panel 2relatively narrower than the length of said bars I and suitably securedat its ends on said bars I into transverse centers thereof, and a pairof upright, side wall structures 3, 4, respectively, arising from saidbars upon opposite sides of the floor panel 2.

The side wall structures 3, 4 each comprise a pair of end posts 5 with alower plank wall section 6 suitably fixed thereto and arising from thelower ends of the posts 5 part way up said posts to a height suitablefor a purpose presently seen.

Above the plank wall section 6, each side wall structure 3, 4 embodies aplank wall section 7 adapted to extend between the posts 5 partway up tothe upper ends thereof and which is hinged to the plank wall section 6,as at 8, to be swung out of the plane of said section 6 downwardly toform a table extending horizontally along the corresponding side of thechute.

The side wall structure 3 is fixed in any suitable manner on the basebars I to incline upwardly and outwardly, and braced, as at 9, whereas,the posts 5 of the side wall structure 4 are hinged at the lower endsthereof, as at ID, to the end base bars I so that said structure 4 isswingable laterally inwardly and outwardly into chute narrowing andwidening positions respectively. In the chute narrowing position of theswingable side wall structure 4, the lower ends of the posts 5 thereofabut the end base bars and establish said position with said structure 4in upwardly and outwardly inclined position. Thus, as will be seen, thechute is designed to taper downwardly, in cross section, when narrowedto properly confine a calf therein in upright position without squeezingthe same, it being understood, however, that said side wall structures3, 4 are spaced apart to accommodate therebetween calves of differentsizes.

Means are provided for swinging the swingable side wall structure 4 intochute widening and narrowing positions comprising a horizontal rockshaft ll journaled at its ends in the upper ends of the posts 5 of thefixed side structure 3 with an outwardly extended lever arm l2 fastthereon and having a pull rope I3 attached to the free end thereof. Apair of end crank bars [4 on said rock shaft l l are pivoted at the freeends thereof, as at 5, to corresponding ends of a pair of horizontalvertically swingable bars iii, the other ends of which are pivoted, asat H, to the upper ends of posts 5 of the swingable side wall structurel. As best shown in Figure 1, the crank bars l4 and the verticallyswingable bars it are alignedin dead center relation in the chutenarrowing position of the swingable side wall structure 4 and areprovided with a conventional form of interlocking, snap action,fasteners, represented at [8, whereby the side wall structure 3 may belocked in chute narrowing position. By pulling on the pull rope IS, therock shaft 5 I may be operated to revolve the crank bars 54, break theinterlock between the fasteners l8, and cause the vertically swingablebars to swing the swingable side wall structure 4 outwardly into theposition shown by 3 dotted lines in Figure 4, thereby opening the chute.

Means are provided forlatching the wall sections 1 against downwardswinging comprising a pair of transverse bars 19 suitably secured to theouter sides of said sections 1, in the transverse centers thereof, toextend beyond the free side edges of the same, and which are adapted tosnap at outer ends thereof into a pair of spring catches 20 suitablyfixed to a pair of horizontal side bars 2| secured, as shown, to thepairs of posts 5 of the fixed and swingable side wall structures 3, 4.The side bars 2| brace the posts of said pairs, .as will be clear. Thetransverse bars l9 form hand grips for swinging the wall sections 1upwardly to latch the same, and which may be pulled free of the catches20 to permit said wall sections 1 to fall into horizontal table formingpositions.

Supporting chains 22 at corresponding ends of the wall sections 1,adjacent to what constitutes the head end of the chute, and which aresuitably attached to the adjacent posts 5, and to said wall sections 1,supports said wall sections in horizontal table forming position.

A pair of leg chains 23 are attached, as at 24, to the posts 5 at whatconstitutes the tail end of the chute, and are adapted to be slidablyextended through a pair of eye bolts, as at 25, on the outer corners ofthe wall sections 1 nearest the tail end of the chute. The purpose ofthe leg chains 23 will presently clearly appear.

A head gate 26 of substantially the same height as the lower wallsections 6 is hinged, as at 21, to one post 5 of the fixed side wallstructure 3, at the head end of the chute, and to swing closed againstthe opposite post 5 of the swingable side wall structure 4. A keeper bar28 is suitably fastened at its ends, as shown, to the post 5 againstture 4 is swung into chute narrowing position. An,

upper edge notch 29 in the head gate 26 forms part of a neck yoke forthe calf, the other part of which is described in the following.

A neck yoke bar 30 is pivoted, as at 3!, intermediate its ends to thepost 5 of the fixed side wall structure at the head end of the chute forvertical swinging into horizontal position in which the same extendsacross the posts 5 at the head end of the chute and directly over theupper edge of the head gate 26 with an upwardly bowed portion 32complementing the notch 29 to complete the neck yoke. A handle portion33 on one end of the yoke bar 30 overbalances the bar to normally swingupwardly into a yoke opening position. The opposite end of said yoke bar39 is downturned, as at 34, for a' purpose presently seen.

A ratchet toothed latch bar 35 is pivoted, as at 36, to the post of theswingable side wall structure 4 at the head end of the chute, and isspring biased, as at 31, to engage the teeth thereof with the top edgeof the neck yoke bar 30 adjacent said downturned end 34 thereof, so asto latch said neck yoke bar 30 in horizontal yoke closing position.

A lifter bar 38 is detachably attached, as by bolts 39, to one wallsection I to extend across the same adjacent the head end of the chute,and is provided with a curvilinear front end 40 adapted to depend intothe chute at one side thereof when said section I is latched up in theplane of the bar 38 is designed to be attached to either wall section 1for a purpose presently seen.

Referring now to the use and operation of the described chute, normallythe neck yoke bar 33 is swung upwardly by the counterbalancing handleportion 33 into yoke opening position. With the neck yoke bar 30 in suchnormal position, a calf 4! is driven into the chute through the tail endthereof, its neck thrust downwardly into the notch 29, and the neck yokebar 30 swung, by the handle portions 33, into the described yoke closingposition thereon in which it is latched by the latch bar 35. One of thewall sections 1, depending upon which side of the calf it is desired towork, is next swung down into the described table forming position, asshown in Figures 1 and 4. In this operation, the lifter bar 38 lifts thefront legs of the calf 4| off the fioor panel 2, so that its hind legsmay be grasped to throw the body of the calf on one side on thedownturned wall section I as shown in Figure l, and with the back facingoutwardly. The appropriate leg chain 23 is next given a half hitcharound one or both hind legs of the calf 4!, as may be desired, and madefast to the appropriate eye bolt 25in any suitable manner. Thus the'calfil is held substantially immovable by the neck yoke bar 35 and theattached leg chain 23 in stretched out position on its side with itsfront legs in the chute, in which position it may be easily branded onits uppermost side, or castrated, as occasion ma require.

When it is desired to release the calf 4 I, the attached leg chain 23 isreleased and the calf shoved back into the chute legs foremost toreassume standing position. The swingable side wall structure 4 is 'thenswung, in the manner which has been described, into chute wideningposition. During such swinging of the swingable side wall structure 4,the latch bar 35 is moved by said structure 4 over and off thedownturned end 34 of the neck yoke bar 30 and said bar is therebygradually released and unlatched to return to normal yoke openingposition. Coincidently, the keeper bar 28is moved from in front of thehead gate 26 and said gate released to be swung open. This releases thecalf to escape out of the head end of the chute. r

The foregoing'will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clearunderstanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification,without departing from the inventive concept, and right is hereinreserved'to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In a cattle chute for confining a calf for operation thereon whenpulled off its feet onto its side, a side wall structure for the chuteincluding an upper operating table section hinged thereto for swingingdownwardly and upwardly to support the calf on its side and ejectthe'same off said section back into the chute, respectively, meanspivotally mounting said Wall structure at its bottom for outwardswinging to widen the chute forfacilitating escape of the calf out ofthe chute, an end gate hinged to the chute for swinging open by the calfabout a vertical axis to permit the calf to escape and having a top edgesubstantially level with said section in the down swung position of saidsection, a neck yoke member pivoted on the chute for coaction with saidedge of the gate when'closed to confine the wall sections 6 to which itis hinged. The lift?! neck of the calf at the level of the down swungsection whereby the calf may be pulled off its feet onto said sectionwith its neck confined, means to swing said wall structure outwardly,locking means for the gate unlocked by Swinging of said wall structureoutwardly, and locking means for holding said member in coactingrelation to the upper edge of the gate unlocked by outward swinging ofsaid wall structure simultaneously with unlocking of said first namedlooking means.

2. In a cattle chute for confining a calf for operation thereon, a sidewall structure for the chute, means pivotally mounting said wallstructure at its bottom for outward swinging to widen the chute forfacilitating escape of the calf out of the chute after the operation, anendgate hinged to said chute for swinging open by the calf about avertical axis to permit the calf to escape, a neck yoke bar pivoted onthe chute for coaction with the gate when closed to confine the neck ofthe calf preparatory to operating on the calf, means to swing said wallstructure outwardly, locking means for said gate unlocked by outwardswinging of said wall structure, and locking means for holding said barin coacting relation to said gate unlocked by outward swinging of saidwall structure simultaneously with unlocking of said first named lockingmeans.

3. A cattle chute according to claim 2 wherein said first named lockingmeans comprises a keeper bar fixed on said wall structure to extend infront of said gate when closed and movable by outward swinging of saidwall structure clear of said gate to unlock said gate.

4. A cattle chute according to claim 2 wherein the second named lockingmeans comprises a bar fixed on said wall structure with teethselectively engageable with said yoke bar and slidable off said yoke barby outward swinging movement of said structure to unlock said yoke bar.

5. A chute according to claim 1 wherein said section is provided with abar swingable in the chute by downward swinging of said section to liftthe calf and facilitate pulling the same onto its side.

OLIN NIECE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 572,792 Gates Dec. 8, 1896733,874 Beck et al July 14, 1903 1,388,258 Hasty Aug. 23, 1921 1,443,561Clark Jan. 30, 1923 1,805,405 Kuhns May 12, 1931 2,084,255 Johnson June15, 1937

